The sport of boxing is always in need of new blood to infuse interest within the fight fans. Someone with fresh ideas and a gung-ho approach. Someone who has a plan of action and looking to make a difference. Someone who wants to go against the grain and create a niche for themself. That latest 'someone' is 58-year-old Walter Lambert, a former Real Estate Developer who is head honcho of Northeast Promotions, a fledgling boxing outfit in New Paltz, New York.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in the Hudson Valley, Lambert formed his promotional company six-years-ago with the intent of giving the local fighters a chance to showcase their talent and bring boxing back to the New York and Tri-State Area. Since then, things have morphed for NEP Boxing and their shows have been televised nationwide on Showtime, MSG, ESPN, ESPN2, Azteca, CSI Sports Network and HBO.
As an amateur kick-boxer in his youth, Lambert is familiar with the strict regimen that it takes to be a fighter. With his savvy business acumen, Lambert is also familiar with what it takes to make a show succeed and thus making the transition from Real Estate Developer to Promoter was not as complicated as he expected. Lambert told Fightnews: "About five-years-ago, a boxer came to me knowing that I was a local businessman; told me he was having some problems and asked if I could help him. One thing led to another and I got a friend of mine to manage him. I was never interested in managing fighters. But I did have an interest in promoting. So, I surrounded myself with people who I thought were the best in the business. I co-promoted events with other promoters first. I observed what was going on in boxing industry promotionally and picked up as much as I could. I also talked to a lot of people and we ended up helping each other. Boxing is a small world and you want to build alliances. You don't want to build barriers. Opportunities arise when you have an open agenda and have the ability to work together."
Lambert adds, "When it comes to business... we take care of business. We know what it takes to work with a major network. We surround ourselves with talented people. It's effortless for the networks to work with us. When we come in, we make sure everything is prepared and ready to go. So far... thank God, we haven't had a glitch and everything has been flawless. We've built ourselves a very good reputation; because the key is not at all about boxing... it's mostly about business. It's also about being creative. It's about creating sponsors. It's about getting what is necessary to get TV time. This is exactly what NEP is looking to create".
In 2004, ESPN announced that it would no longer foot the $50,000 licensing fee to stage a fight card, forcing promoters to carry the financial burden alone and to secure their own sponsors. The decision created an uproar amongst the smaller promoters who felt that it would be impossible for them to secure an ESPN date which would eventually put a damper on their business. However, Lambert fails to see any obstacles. He states, "We don't consider this a problem. It all depends on your relationships and the people that you have working with you. Frankly, NEP has very good sources. Right now, we are working on creating our own network to be launched in 2008.
NEP understands while sponsors and networks are undoubtedly an integral part to any promotional company, staging competitive and entertaining fights are as crucial. Activity generates interest and in-turn interest generates money. Without the viewer-ship, advertisers simply won't stick around.
Of course, a promotional company must have a strong roster of fighters in order to succeed. Currently, NEP is looking to create just that. Lambert states: "We are not chasing anyone to sign with us. Thankfully, because of the reputation that we've built in the last couple of years, boxers silicate us. Right now we have signed several fighters that we believe will have a major impact on our program in the next 1 to 3 years. They are world class boxers that are definitely ESPN, NEP's syndicated network, Showtime and HBO material".
Lambert concludes, "The goal of Northeast Promotions is simple. We want to bring integrity back into the sport. If we can help bring integrity back, it will be more of an attraction to the public and it will be beneficial to the boxers. The boxers are always at the short end of the stick and I believe that 90% of the money is earned by 5% of the fighters. I think that needs to be spread out to the other boxers who put their life and heart on the line and don't even earn enough to make a living. My purpose is to not only be successful as a promoter, but to do what is justly right by the fighter. That's my goal... plain and simple."
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Walt Lambert
President / Promoter & Founder
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